Furman and #5 South Carolina Next Up for Top-Ranked Tigers

April 22, 2002

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Clemson, SC –

Top-ranked Clemson (34-5) will play host to Furman (18-22) Tuesday at 7:15 PM and will play at #5 South Carolina (31-9) Wednesday at 7:00 PM. The South Carolina game will be broadcast on the radio by Clemson Tiger Sports Properties. The radio broadcast can be heard live via the internet at www.clemsontigers.com. The game against the Gamecocks will also be broadcast live on television by Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast. Live stats will also be available for both mid-week games on Clemson’s website.

Clemson leads the series with Furman 129-53-4 dating back to 1896. Only Georgia and South Carolina have faced Clemson more times in history. Furman was Clemson’s first ever opponent in 1896, as the Paladins handed Clemson losses by scores of 20-13 and 14-11. Clemson has won 28 games in a row in the series, with the last Furman win coming in 1984 by a 9-7 score. Head Coach Jack Leggett is 9-0 against the Paladins as the Tiger skipper, including an 8-0 record at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Clemson holds a 151-103-2 advantage against South Carolina in the series dating back to 1899. Leggett is 16-12 against the Gamecocks as the Tiger skipper, including a 9-5 record at Sarge Frye Field. Leggett also sports a 49-22 (.690) record against SEC teams, including a 17-13 record on SEC opponents’ home fields. In his ninth season at Clemson, Leggett has 99 wins over teams ranked in the top 25. Clemson has won two of the three games this season against South Carolina. Clemson won in Columbia on March 2 by a 9-7 score. Khalil Greene is 7-for-12 (.583) with two homers and four RBIs.

The Paladins will start senior righthander Brian Corcoran (1-2, 4.50 ERA) on the mound Tuesday. Corcoran has made 15 relief appearances in 2002, but has yet to make a start. The Tigers will counter with sophomore righthander Steven Jackson (4-1, 5.67 ERA). South Carolina will start junior lefty Steven Bondurant (5-1, 2.95 ERA), while Clemson will start junior righty Matt Henrie (8-1, 2.17 ERA).

Furman, who is 6-6 on the road this year, is coming off two wins in three games at Wofford this past weekend. Furman has actually won four of its last five games. The Paladins are hitting .321, led by Craig Caudill, who is hitting .409. Derek Norman leads the team in the power department, hitting seven homers with 32 RBIs. Furman has committed 80 errors in 40 games. It also has a 5.37 team ERA.

South Carolina, who is 22-4 at home this year, is coming off two wins in three games against Louisiana State. The Gamecocks have won seven of their last eight games. Yaron Peters leads South Carolina, who is hitting .324 as a team, with a .394 batting average, including 15 homers and 58 RBIs. Drew Meyer leads the team with 25 steals. The Gamecocks have committed just 37 errors in 40 games for an outstanding .976 fielding percentage. The Gamecocks also have a 3.75 ERA.

Clemson, who is coming off a three-game sweep of Duke, is hitting .334, led by Khalil Greene at .444. Greene set the all-time Tiger record for hits against Duke and has 340 in his career. The trio of Jeff Baker, Greene, and Michael Johnson have combined for 43 homers and 147 RBIs. Clemson sports a .973 fielding percentage and a 3.66 ERA as well.